These days, it's hard to find a new vehicle on the showroom floor
without iPod support. Even lower-end automobiles are opting to add USB
sockets in order to support Apple's iPhone and/or iPod, and one look at the company's latest earnings report will help you understand why. But what
if you opted not to trade in your clunker last month? If you're still
wheeling around with a cassette deck, it's probably time to get with
the program.

Parrot's new RKi8400 is here to help, bringing an iPhone/iPod-centric
head unit to single-DIN radio openings that are commonly found in late
model vehicles. The fully integrated car stereo looks somewhat odd
compared to most CD players, and that's probably because there's no
optical drive here. Instead, you'll find a USB port for connecting
digital media files stored on external hard drives/flash drives, an SD
card reader and a double line-in socket for pretty much everything
else. Of course, you can also connect your iPod or iPhone, and the
built-in Bluetooth even allows music to be streamed in from BT-equipped
cellphones and calls to be taken via the handsfree approach.

There's also a handy compartment for iPhone/iPod storage just behind
the faceplate, and the 200 watt MOS-FET amplifier should provide plenty
of "oomph" to your factory speakers. Back on the topic of iPhone/iPod,
this device's menu system is tailor made to function with Apple's
players, providing a clean look at artists, titles and record names on
the 2.4" color display. Finally, Parrot even includes the ability to
update the deck via firmware refreshes, ensuring that future iPhone
OSes don't kill compatibility for too long. Interested? It should be
making its way to your local audio shop for $400.